BJD leader Prasanna Acharya has expressed grief over the Ram Mandir donation scam and demanded a high-level inquiry. He said that the matter cannot be left only to the temple trust and the government should intervene in it. This scam has hurt the faith of crores of devotees.
‘Government should intervene, the matter should not be left to the trust’
Saying that the alleged misappropriation of Ram temple funds has shocked “crores of Ram devotees”, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) vice-president and MLA Prasanna Acharya has demanded a high-level inquiry into the allegations. He has said that the matter “should not be left to the temple trust alone”. Speaking to ANI on Saturday, Acharya said the reported irregularities have hurt the sentiments of crores of devotees who had contributed for the construction of the Ram temple.
He said, “This Ayodhya case has saddened the entire nation, and crores of Ram devotees are in shock and the entire nation is shocked. How can this happen? When the construction of Ram temple started, crores of people donated, crores of rupees were collected. Neither the trust nor the government lodged an FIR with the police. Later, investigation started and recently another scam has come to light in the Badrinath temple. So what is happening in this country? You are the crores of people of India. Playing with people’s emotions, their devotion.”
The BJD leader said the matter should not be handled by the temple trust alone and urged the government to intervene. Acharya said, “The matter should not be left to the temple trust alone. The government should intervene, and a high-level investigation should be conducted.”
15 day extension in SIT investigation
On July 3, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple reached the temple premises to conduct further investigation in the case. On July 1, the state government gave the SIT a 15-day extension to complete its investigation. This extension has been given to enable the SIT to expand the scope of its investigation and comprehensively investigate all aspects of the case.
8 accused arrested, trustees resigned
An FIR was registered on June 25 after the SIT submitted its preliminary report on June 23, and eight accused were arrested. Subsequently, Champat Rai and former trustee Anil Mishra had resigned, taking moral responsibility for the alleged misuse of donations in the Ayodhya Ram temple, hours after which the police arrested all eight people named in the FIR.
The alleged misappropriation of donations for the Ram Janmabhoomi temple has also sparked a major political storm, with the opposition launching a scathing attack on the ruling BJP, while the government says a transparent investigation is underway. Ayodhya police can interrogate the accused present in custody on Sunday. (ANI)
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